Merged Two Mosques to be built near Ground Zero

they should build such a "Mosque" in Switzerland, the thingy is bigger than any minaret in switzerland :)
 
Travis said:
First look at sketches of the Ground Zero mosque...
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Good find, Travis. I found some other interesting details in that article that pertain to the discussion in this thread:

Groundbreaking for construction is probably two to three years away, 'or hopefully sooner,' El Gamal added.
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Actual working plans for the centre are still some time away.
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An architect has yet to be selected, El Gamal said.
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So much for the idea that it would open on September 11, 2010, or anytime soon.

Fundraising will probably begin in earnest in about 30 days, once the work of establishing a non-profit group to oversee the building is complete.
...
But he [El Gamal] acknowledged that intense scrutiny of the project will make tasks like gathering donations and selecting board members more laborious.

'We're going to have to run this just like a political campaign,' vetting every donated dollar to see where it comes from, he said.

The centre has set a goal of raising $27million through a nationwide appeal to Muslims, interfaith groups and other philanthropists, but most of the $120million to $140million needed for construction would be raised by issuing a type of bond common in Islamic banking.

The instrument provides some of the same borrowing benefits as a standard construction bond, but complies with a religious prohibition against charging interest on a loan.

El Gamal said he hoped the bonds could be issued by a public development authority, which would allow investors to get them tax-free, but said that is not essential to move the project forward.

Revenue for operations would come from membership dues.

The goal is to have around 4,300 paying members, with about half paying $2,700 per year for a family plan that would include fitness centre access.

Both the centre's programming and business plan were modeled largely after the Jewish Community Centre in Manhattan, a popular facility on the Upper West Side where El-Gamal is a member.
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I'm sure that there will be a lot of scrutiny of the funding. It will be interesting if the mandatory transparency will be enough for the critics.

Read more here. By the way, I think it's clever how the Daily Mail automatically includes a link to an article when someone copies text from the article. It comes in handy.


Meanwhile, here is further evidence that Islamic supremacists hate Sufis: Police: Blasts kill 7 at Sufi shrine in Pakistan -- AP, Oct. 7, 2010. Apparently, these attacks have been going on for months.
 
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